


Daddy, What's a Divorce?

by Laces



Series: Last First Kiss [2]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Dean and Cas have a daughter, Divorce, Husbands!Samifer, Lawyer Lucifer (Supernatural), Lawyer Sam Winchester, M/M, Mechanic Dean Winchester, Miscommunication, Surgeon Castiel (Supernatural), all a misunderstanding, can be standalone, husbands!destiel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-27
Updated: 2019-07-27
Packaged: 2020-06-30 08:02:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,559
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19848955
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Laces/pseuds/Laces
Summary: Sam and Lucifer are getting a divorce.But not if Dean can help it.





	Daddy, What's a Divorce?

**Author's Note:**

> This makes more sense if you've previously read Last First Kiss (or, at the very least, the epilogue!) but can be read as a standalone!
> 
> Please enjoy! xxx

_**(Six Years Earlier)** _

_Dean stepped out of the ensuite shower, drying off before going back into their bedroom. He found his boyfriend in a ratty Metallica shirt, propped up in the bed with his laptop._

_“What are you up to?” Dean asked as he pulled on a clean pair of boxers and ran the towel over his hair. Castiel’s cheeks turned pink at the question and Dean raised an eyebrow, throwing himself down on the bed in order to see the laptop screen. “Zillow? You’re looking at houses?”_

 _“I was merely curious. I know that it’s not a good time to move right now.” They had only just returned from their prolonged stay at Sam and Lucifer’s and it felt nice to be back in their own place again. The idea of moving after so much had happened was enough to stress anyone out._

_“I wasn’t aware you were thinking about moving.”_

_“I’ve been thinking about it lately but I’m not hardpressed, I suppose. It would have to be a mutual decision, of course.”_

_Dean was quiet for a few moments, watching his partner’s face before leaning in to kiss him._

_“Well, let me see what you’re looking at then,” Dean murmured and Castiel smiled with delight, properly tilting the screen towards Dean. It took all of five seconds before Dean groaned. “Cas, these prices are ridiculous.”_

_“It said to enter the highest amount you are willing to spend.”_

_“You didn’t put a limit!”_

_“Because this would be our forever-home, Dean.”_

_“Cas, you’re looking at the type of houses that Lucifer would buy. C’mon, you’re more rational than your brother about this kind of stuff - there is no point in a place that big for just the two of us,” Dean argued, looking at Castiel’s face. The look he saw made him curious and he paused for a second, moving the laptop and squeezing the man’s hand. “Cas?”_

_“Maybe one day it wouldn’t be just the two of us,” the dark-haired man answered quietly, chewing on his lower lip._

_“You know I don’t have the parts to give you kids, Cas,” Dean joked, turning to humor as a defense mechanism since the comment made him nervous._

_“I understand that we haven’t talked about it before, Dean. I was just thinking, you know? Of what our future together could possibly look like.”_

_“And you want our future to include kids?”_

_“Maybe… do you?” Cas asked, searching Dean’s eyes as if he were trying to see into his soul. The younger man was quiet for a minute before shrugging slightly._

_“I like kids,” he answered, which was good enough of an answer for Cas, who grinned at him. The sight helped to calm Dean’s nerves and he leaned forward, pressing a kiss to his partner’s temple. “C’mon then, show me what you’re thinking about for our future family.”_

_The couple laid there for an hour, looking at homes and bickering over each listing. Somehow, the arguments went from bee gardens - Cas really didn’t have enough time for that kind of thing, no matter how badly he wanted one - to ideal locations for the ultimate swing-set in the backyard without either of them truly noticing._

_“Do you see that staircase? No social worker in their right mind would place a kid in a home with that staircase - it’s an ER visit waiting to happen,” Dean pointed out about Castiel’s latest find, grinning. Cas didn’t fight back, he just turned and stared at Dean’s face for a moment, a soft smile on his lips. “What?” Dean asked after too long had passed, his cheeks growing warm._

_“You are going to be an amazing dad one day, Dean Winchester.”_

_“What? Nah, I’m just-”_

_“Dean.” Castiel’s voice was firm and Dean stopped rubbing the back of his neck to look his partner in the eyes. “Take the compliment.”_

_“I just… Babe, I don’t really have the kind of experience with a good dad to-”_

_“Dean, Bobby has been a great role model for you. And besides, you raised Sam even with the shit influence of John Winchester. You will be a wonderful husband and father.”_

_“Husband?”_

_Both of them froze, staring at each other for a moment as the reality of what had just been suggested hit. Castiel recovered first._

_“Husband. Please don’t get scared, Dean, I’m not asking for any of this from you right now. And if you don’t want to marry me or have kids with me then I understand. I just ask that you take into consideration that I’m not asking you to go to Vegas with me tonight, I just-”_

_“I want to marry you.”_

_“You.. what?”_

_“I want to marry you. Why not? There will never be another person who will tolerate me the way that you will and even claim to love me in the process. You’re good friends with my brother and you care for him as if he were your own. My family loves you and hell, I’m crazy about you. I would marry you in a heartbeat, Cas.”_

_Instead of answering, Cas shoved the laptop away so he could throw himself forwards, wrapping his arms around Dean to kiss him feverishly. One thing led to another and it was when they were trying to catch their breath, foreheads pressed together and limbs tightly entangled, Dean finally spoke:_

_“Did we just get engaged?”_

_Castiel’s laughter filled the room, warming Dean’s heart even more - if it was even possible._

_“Marry me, Dean Winchester?”_

_“Tell me when.”_

_**(Now)**_

“Cas and Dean are never going to forgive you if you keep spoiling her,” Sam chided, watching as his husband sprayed whip cream on top of chocolate chip pancakes before handing them over to the young child. Lucifer and Gracie had both still been asleep when he left for his run but their niece was wide awake now, eyeing the plate of pancakes just as eagerly as Lucifer was eyeing their Keurig. 

“They’ll be fine. They act like they haven’t spoiled her since the moment she came into their lives,” Lucifer commented dryly, gesturing to the princess crown that Gracie had insisted on wearing today. Sam merely rolled his eyes, kissing his husband’s cheek before rinsing out the blender. 

“Are we still going to go to the museum today?” 

“If you take a shower and stop assaulting my senses, we can,” Lucifer pointed out, noticeably keeping his distance from the sweaty giant. 

“Uncle Lu, what does that mean?” Gracie asked, looking up from her pancakes, already sticky from syrup. 

“It means Uncle Sammy is smelly, sweetheart, and he needs to get clean,” Lucifer replied with a slight smirk on his face as Gracie pinched her nose, despite not being able to smell Sam from where she was sitting. 

“I’m going, I’m going,” Sam said, rolling his eyes. 

“And little Gracie needs to get out of her princess dress if she wants to go anywhere today,” Lucifer pointed out. 

“No!” Gracie refused, shaking her head. “Princesses have lots of work to do.” 

“But Gracie, you-” 

“Eh, I say let her. If she wants to be a princess, let her be a princess. It’s not like we’re going anywhere formal, it’s just the children’s science museum,” Sam pointed out. He could see the gears turning in his husband’s head and he was moments from giving in when Gracie squeaked. 

“Did you say science?” 

“Yes, ma’am. We’re going to go to the science museum - it’s really cool and there’s gonna be a bunch of stuff that you can do. If you’re really good, maybe Uncle Lu can be convinced to let you pick where we go for lunch, Princess Gracie,” Sam offered. 

“The princess has left the building!” Gracie announced, causing both men to chuckle. 

“What?” Lucifer asked, raising an eyebrow. 

“Did you know that Papa does science?” Gracie asked in a whisper, as if she were telling a secret. Both men feigned surprise. 

“Does he?” Sam asked, in shock. 

“He does. So I have to be a doctor like Papa today if we’re gonna do science!” She insisted. Sam and Lucifer both nodded, keeping their expressions just as serious as their niece’s. 

“I think that sounds like a good idea, Gracie. Papa’s gonna love hearing that,” Sam assured, smiling at her. 

“I agree. And babe?” Lucifer turned to Sam, the smile he had used with Gracie still on his face. 

“Yes?” 

“Go. Shower!” 

* * *

“Daddy!” 

Dean grinned as his little girl came running towards him at full-speed and he caught her easily, spinning her around to make her laugh. 

“Hey there, Princess,” Dean greeted, carrying Gracie into the house. “Did you have fun with Uncle Sam and Uncle Lucifer?” 

“Not a princess today, Daddy. Doctor today,” Gracie corrected, gesturing towards one of Castiel’s old stethoscopes that was around her neck. 

“Oh! I’m sorry, Dr. Grace. Did you have fun?” 

“I did,” Grace confirmed with a nod. Dean deposited his daughter onto the top of the counter space in order to wrap his arms around Castiel, who was standing in front of the stove with a pot full of pasta. His husband hummed, turning to give him a quick kiss that made Grace squeal from her spot. 

“Papa, dinner!” She alerted, clearly worried that he was going to forget to continue fixing their food now that Dean was home. Castiel just laughed, moving to press a kiss to her forehead and assure her otherwise before dutifully returning his attention to the food. 

It always caught Dean by surprise, every damn day, that this was his life. That an introduction meant to be focused on someone else, an accidental proposal, and his stupid little brother running into a home where a father was armed and dangerous, had led him to this: a husband and a little girl, both of which had become his entire life. 

“Daddy, cup?” 

“Can you use your words?” 

“Can I have a cup, please?” 

“Much better. Milk or water?” Dean asked, getting a small plastic cup out of their cabinet. 

“Water!” 

Dean filled the cup about halfway before handing it over with a reminder, “Both hands, Dr. Grace,” before moving to set the table. 

“Daddy, what’s a divorce?” 

Dean paused, turning to look at his daughter with a curious look on his face. Castiel had turned as well, raising an eyebrow. 

“Well, you know how Daddy and Papa are married?” 

“Yeah! You have married rings!” Gracie pointed to Dean’s hand. 

“We do, yeah. A divorce is when a couple who is married stops being married. They take off their married rings forever,” Dean tried to explain. “Where did you hear that word, Gracie?” 

“Uncle Sam and Lu were saying it. Is it a bad word?” 

Dean didn’t answer his daughter’s question, he merely stiffened and made eye contact with his own husband, clearly concerned. 

“Daddy? Papa? Is it a bad word? Did I say a bad word?” Gracie asked again, starting to get concerned. Castiel knocked out of it first and shook his head, going over to their daughter and running his hand through her curls. 

“No, baby girl, you didn’t say a bad word. We were just surprised that you knew such a big kid word!” Castiel assured, pressing a kiss to her forehead which calmed her down. He lifted her off the counter and onto her feet. “Why don’t you go take a seat at the table, okay? Dinner’s ready.” 

Grace nodded, taking her cup with her to the table, and Castiel looked at Dean for a moment before shaking his head. 

“Dinner, bath, and bedtime. Then you can freak out,” Castiel granted. 

“But Cas-” 

“Dean, our family first. Dinner, bath, and bedtime,” Castiel reiterated, voice a bit firmer this time. Castiel had cracked down on that but it had been a very careful line that he had to find. He couldn’t possibly (and didn’t want to) come between Sam and Dean but at some point, Dean needed to remember that his husband and daughter needed to come first sometimes. It hadn’t been an easy reminder but Castiel’s patience with Dean had always been unmatched. 

“Fine,” Dean muttered, making plates and passing them out, all while trying his very best to stay present in the moment. 

\-- 

“Have either of them mentioned anything to you? Did they act weird when you picked up Grace earlier? We should’ve just gotten the babysitter to keep her for the night, we shouldn’t have put any extra stress on them,” Dean rambled as soon as the door to their bedroom closed. Castiel had to give it to him. Dean had been engaged in their conversations at dinner, listening as Grace spoke about how having a break from the kingdom had been nice but a Princess has many things to take care of, so she should return to the palace tomorrow. Dean had even poured bubbles in Grace’s bath that night, meaning it was three times longer than her normal baths, before reading a story and putting his daughter to bed. So, if anything, Dean had earned his freakout time. 

“Only Lucifer was there when I picked her up. He said Jo had called and asked for Sam to come over for a little while. And Dean, they offered to take her so that we could have some time alone. They wouldn’t have offered if they weren’t okay with keeping her. Besides, she’s the easiest kid to watch - she doesn’t induce much stress.” 

“Well, we have to fix this. Sam hasn’t said a damn thing to me about a potential divorce or even relationship problems so I’m sure it was something said in the heat of passion,” Dean excused, throwing himself down onto the bed. Castiel was quiet and when Dean lifted his head to look at him, was making a face. “What, Cas?” 

“Do you really think they would’ve had a fight in front of Grace? They know her history and they know our stance on not handling disputes in front of her. And if they did, she would’ve told us that they were fighting as well,” he pointed out, frowning as he sat down beside his husband in order to run his fingers through his hair. 

“I’m going to text him,” Dean claimed, deadset, and Castiel merely nodded, watching as the other begin to type. 

**Hey Sammy, haven’t heard much out of you lately. How are you? DW**

Sam and Lucifer had eaten a late dinner, cooked by Lucifer while Sam was still at Eden with Jo, which meant that Sam was elbows deep in a sink full of soapy water when his phone gave three short buzzes. 

“Babe, that’s Dean, can you check that for me?” 

Lucifer was sitting at the island, reading quietly, and he nodded at this request, shifting to reach for his husband’s phone and adjusting his glasses. 

“He just wants to know how you are. Says you’ve been AWOL,” Lucifer read. “Do you want me to reply?” 

“If you will, yeah. Tell him I’m fine, just busy, but we’re still on for lunch on Thursday,” Sam replied, shifting a plate into the second sink to rinse it. 

“What if I wanted to have lunch with you on Thursday?” 

“Well, you’re a couple years too late to interrupt our Thursday lunches, so I’d say you’re shit out of luck,” Sam said with a laugh, getting a chuckle out of Lucifer as well. The next noise out of the blond was an indignant squeak. 

“He asked how the ‘old man’ is,” Lucifer muttered, clearly unamused. 

“Tell him he’s just as old and grumpy as usual. Ask about Cas too, say I’m sorry I missed him earlier,” Sam replied without hesitation, mirth in his eyes as he watched said grumpy look cross his husband’s features. 

“Cas, when I asked about Lucifer, he said he was grumpy,” Dean pointed out, nervous. Castiel merely tilted his head, looking at him curiously. 

“Would you not describe my brother as almost constantly grumpy?” He asked, making Dean huff. 

“Fine.. he’s sorry he missed you earlier.” 

“I as well. It would’ve been nice to see him. Thank him for watching Grace.” 

“Castiel’s fine and I told them that we enjoyed watching Grace and they deserved some time alone.” 

“That’s... nice of you. Since when would you admit to them that you enjoyed watching her?” 

“I didn’t, you did,” Lucifer pointed out with a slight smirk, getting up and opening the freezer. He pulled out a small carton of frozen yogurt and frowned. “Didn’t we just buy ice cream?” 

“We did - you ate it, with the assistance of Grace. But I’ll be nice and you can have some of mine if you’d like,” Sam claimed. Lucifer sighed dramatically but got out a spoon, taking a bite straight out of the container before holding a spoonful out to Sam and feeding him. Sam smirked, happily taking the bite of the sweet treat and leaning in to kiss his husband with now-cold lips. 

**Are you two taking time off of work for yourselves? DW**

_Us? Never. SWA_

**Why not? DW**

_Work comes first? SWA_  
_We spend enough time together, it’s fine. SWA_  
_There’s a vacation in the works. SWA_

**Think Cas would grab me by the balls if I said there was a way that we could spend enough time together. DW**

_You also have a daughter that prevents you from doing so. SWA_  
_But no worries about Lucifer - it’s a mutual feeling. SWA_

 **Are you sure you’re fine? DW**

_Why wouldn’t I be? SWA_

**Just concerned about you, man. That’s all. DW**

_I’m just busy. Eden has the most occupants we’ve ever had at a time and we’ve had to take on a bigger staff to ensure that we keep the ratios we want. Plus I’m the one making the lesson plans for the classes that Lu and I are teaching at Stanford. SWA_  
_And Lucifer, in general. Being his husband is a full-time job all on its own._ SWA 

“Are you typing a book?” Sam asked his husband as he finished drying the dishes and began to put them up. “What are you saying? Are you still pretending to be me?” Sam came up behind Lucifer, wrapping his arms around him and placing his chin on the top of Lucifer’s head to watch Lucifer scroll through the messages to update him. 

“You’re an idiot, you know that, right?” Sam asked once he finished reading, chuckling. 

“Am I wrong?” 

“Nope. It _is_ a full-time job. But I wouldn’t trade it for the world,” he assured, standing and spinning Lucifer’s chair around so he was facing him. Their lips met, slow and steady, with a familiarity that only came with experience. However, as the years and anniversaries passed, it still felt like they were newlyweds, eager for a chance to have a few minutes together. 

“And, for the record, the pending vacation is your idea,” Sam reminded him. 

“Our vacations are always my idea. I’m starting to get a little butt-hurt. Do you not want to take vacations with me?” 

“Oh shut up,” Sam replied, laughing. “You know that’s not the case. Any chance to have my husband in as little clothing as possible on the beach, no clients or children or students in sight, is one that I will happily take. I just don’t have the same freedoms in ditching Eden as you do with Alighieri Law” 

“I mean, technically, you do. Eden runs on its own without you and your firm is as self-sufficient as A.L. is while we’re gone. You just have more morals about it than I do.” 

“ _There_ it is,” Sam laughed, wrapping his arms around his husband and lifting him with ease. 

“Dean texted back!” Lucifer claimed as he scrambled for purchase, wrapping his arms and legs around Sam. 

“Didn’t he just say I should have alone time with my husband?” 

“... Good point.” 

“Cas, he’s not answering.” 

“He probably went to bed, Dean. You should do the same,” Cas suggested, giving him a look. With a sigh, Dean put his phone on charge and curled up with his husband. His mind raced as arms wrapped tightly around him, holding him close and soothing him to sleep. 

* * *

“Heya, Sammy!” Dean called out as the other got to the diner of the week. They had made it a point to meet together at least once a week after Sam moved out and, after Sam’s engagement, they had set aside Thursday lunches as their specific time together. They had missed nine in the years since - a few vacations, a violently ill Sam, a violently ill Gracie, and one day in court (for Dean, ironically - speeding ticket). 

“Hey, Dean!” Sam greeted his brother with a one-armed hug before taking a seat. The first portion of their lunch was dedicated to picking meals and asking about each one’s respective family. Dean’s answer regarding Gracie was always the longest, understandably, considering there was very little immediate news about their husbands. It was also Sam’s job to give an update on their little sister, since he saw Jo more often than Dean was able to. But Dean mostly rushed through his own answer, a bit fidgety. Lucifer was fine? What did he mean he was fine? Sam mentioned nothing about relationship troubles, much less a divorce. 

“So you said a vacation was in the works?” Dean asked, referencing Sam’s text from a few nights ago. 

“Uh, yeah. I haven’t paid much attention to it, honestly. That’s Lucifer’s domain. I think Elizabeth is helping him plan.” 

“Elizabeth?” Dean questioned, raising an eyebrow. 

“Our wedding planner? Remember? I don’t think she’s doing anything big, just recommended a few locations and a place to stay.” 

“With the amount of money you forked over to her during your wedding, I’m sure she jumped at the bit to help. Hell, I know I would have,” Dean pointed out with a chuckle. 

“Lucifer wanted the undivided attention of California’s best wedding planner. That means she got to name her price,” Sam pointed out. That was a concept that they had been trying to explain to Dean - when you were the best around, you could charge higher prices. Despite that, the cost of his restorations hadn’t changed in the last few years, despite celebrity clients telling him that he really, really should increase his prices. That was still a work in progress, however. 

“You didn’t have to double her asking price!” Dean pointed out, as if his brother was an idiot. 

“She didn’t know what she was getting herself into. Trust me, if she had known, she would’ve asked for more,” Sam pointed out with a laugh. “I was the one marrying him, not her. I wasn’t going to make her suffer.” 

Dean’s stomach flipped. That sounded like a bad sign. Suffer? His mind was clouded by the idea and when he came to, Sam had a weird look on his face. 

“Dude, are you okay? You just checked out on me for a minute,” Sam asked, looking a bit worried. 

“Sorry, man. I’m fine. Just got a little distracted, I guess. Yeah, Elizabeth. Well, hopefully she’s picked somewhere real nice. You two deserve some alone time - two workaholics don’t leave much time for a marriage,” Dean pointed out. With a raised eyebrow, Sam laughed. 

“Trust me, we leave _plenty_ of time for our marriage. Probably a little too much, honestly,” Sam pointed out. “So, Gracie mentioned wanting a sibling while she was over with us. Is that something that Daddy and Papa are also interested in?” Sam changed the subject, raising an eyebrow. 

“Oh.. uh..” Dean turned pink, rubbing the back of his neck. “I don’t know? Probably not for another year, at least. I’m not sure. It’s just, Gracie’s getting a little older and I’d like to think we’ve gotten better at this parenting thing as time’s gone by. We just don’t want to risk rocking the boat right now, if that makes sense. She may say she wants a sibling but I don’t know how well she’d do with sharing our attention. It’s something we’d have to talk to her therapist about before we really start debating,” Dean explained, shrugging a bit and popping a handful of fries in his mouth. 

“I understand, man. I think that’s a really responsible way to look at it. But I gotta say, Dean, fatherhood looks good on you,” Sam complimented genuinely, giving his brother a smile. 

“What about you? You still agreeing with Lucifer on the no kids thing?” 

“Yeah, I’d say so. Gracie can scratch the itch every now and then whenever it arises. Otherwise, we’re good.” Honestly, considering he ran a fostering facility, he could go and get his fill of children whenever he wanted. He checked in on Eden as often as he possibly could, mostly ending up over there at lunch or bedtime, and Lucifer tagged along when he had a chance. And Sam had to admit, Lucifer looked gorgeous with a baby in his arms. But they were both appreciative that they returned home to an empty house at the end of the night. Well, not empty anymore - an orange tabby named Raja and a gorgeous tuxedo cat officially named Double O Seven (he almost always went by Bond) had joined them in the last year. 

“You’re not even remotely interested in fatherhood?” Dean asked. 

“I guess not really, no. It had always been clear from the start that being with Lucifer pretty much guaranteed that there’d be no children in the future. Like we’ve said, he’s too old for a baby while I’m too young for a teenager. Besides, out of me and you, you were definitely the one more cut out to be a dad,” Sam pointed out, taking a bite of his grilled chicken. 

\-- 

“There’s my gorgeous man,” Sam said softly as he opened the door to their home office. Lucifer was leaning over a file, his laptop running off to the side, and he looked up with a lazy smile. 

“Hey there, Sammy,” he murmured, pushing his stuff out of the way and moving his chair back. Sam took the hint, taking a seat on Lucifer’s desk, legs spread as his husband got up to stand between them. “I missed you today,” Lucifer mumbled against Sam’s jawline, pressing kisses there. 

“You always say that.” 

“I always miss you.” 

“I was with you this morning.” 

“I didn’t see you at lunch,” Lucifer pointed out. 

“You’re just spoiled.” 

“You spoiled me,” Lucifer claimed, making Sam laugh. 

“You were already past saving by the time I met you, you ass. You were so used to getting what you wanted that I don’t know what you would’ve done had I not kissed you back that first night.” 

“But you did.” 

“Of course I did. Last first kiss, yeah?” Sam murmured, running both hands through blond locks. 

“Last first kiss,” Lucifer whispered, pressing their lips together. 

* * *

“What kind of flowers would you get me if we were on the verge of divorce?” Dean asked one morning, sitting at the counter with his laptop as Castiel fixed breakfast. 

“We wouldn’t be on the verge of divorce,” Castiel answered, blinking at him. 

“Hypothetically.” 

“You’re simple. You like roses. I’d get you roses. But I don’t think that would help if we were about to divorce. Perhaps a dozen pies instead.” 

“Sam hates roses. And wouldn’t want a dozen pies,” Dean said dejectedly, his head in his hands. 

“Are you going to tell Lucifer to send Sam flowers?” 

“No, I’m going to send them.” 

There was a pause as Castiel debated if this was a hill he was willing to die on. He quickly decided that it wasn’t. 

“You know you can’t sign Lucifer’s name. Depending on what’s going on between the two of them, he could get angry enough to sue if you were sending apology flowers on his behalf,” Cas warned, fixing three plates of eggs and sausage. “Grace! Breakfast, sweetheart!” He called out, shutting the laptop on Dean’s fingers as he passed by him so he’d come and sit down at the table. 

“Sam! Delivery!” His secretary called out, considering the door to his office was open. Sam couldn’t help but grin down at his phone. Lucifer was spending the day in court and Sam had sent a text to complain about being hungry and upset that they couldn’t go get lunch together. It hadn’t quite been half an hour yet and Lucifer hadn't even answered but if he knew his husband, said delivery should be lunch. Getting to his feet, he headed out in the rest of the office and paused as he found a large bouquet of flowers on Donna’s desk. 

“Flowers?” He asked, confused. 

“The florist just dropped them off! I went ahead and signed for them!” She said, practically oozing excitement. Sam reached for the card, his brow furrowed. 

“ _‘Just a reminder that I’ll love you always,’_ ” he read before switching over to the attached note from the florist regarding the meaning of the different types of flowers. Rejuvenation, leaving the past behind? Regretful? Making peace? What the hell was this? 

“Your husband is such a romantic fella,” Donna swooned, leaning over to smell the bouquet. 

“My husband.. Didn’t send these.” 

“What are you talking about? ‘Course he did, who else would’ve?” 

“I’m… I’m really not sure. But it wasn’t Luce.” Who would ‘love him always’ and be regretful of the past and want to make peace? It made his stomach churn as he sighed, running a hand through his hair. 

“How do you know?” 

“If he’s going to do something like this, he’s going to do it himself. Or if he absolutely can’t, he has a personal assistant. She’d bring them, not the florist,” he explained. There was no need to weird her out by reading her the meanings of the flowers. She’d think he was in denial about some fight or something. 

Just then, there was a knock on the open doorway and Sam and Donna both looked up to see Lily there with a bag of food in hand. 

“Hey Lily!” Sam greeted, sliding the two small slips of paper into his pocket and heading over to her. 

“Hey! I’ve got a delivery on behalf of the bossman,” she offered, handing over the bag and a folded sheet of paper. He took both, opening the paper to find a note from Lucifer (there was no mistaking the man’s handwriting): 

_‘Sammy,_  
_Sorry I couldn’t do lunch but that’s no excuse for my man to starve all day. Since I know you and I know you won’t go out and get yourself something, I figured I’d have it sent to you. Enjoy._  
_I love you._

_\- Last First Kiss’_

Now _that_? That was from his husband. 

* * *

**Do you have a date for your trip yet? We can keep Raja and Bond while you’re on vacation. DW**

_No need! Jess is gonna house-sit and keep an eye on them while we’re gone. SWA_

**Jess? DW**

_She interned with me, remember? At Lucifer’s? She stayed on with him. SWA_

**I remember but why her? DW**

_We were having dinner the other night and it came up. She offered and also loves cats, so it was perfect. Can’t exactly ask you guys to uproot Grace to keep an eye on the house and Lily deserves a vacation from Lu so it seemed like the perfect solution. SWA_  
_Thanks for offering though, I really appreciate it. SWA_

**You were having dinner with her? Both of you or just you? DW**

_Uh.. just me? SWA_

**Why? DW**

_Because friends can have dinner, Dean. SWA_

**That didn’t upset Lucifer? DW**

_He doesn’t care who I have dinner with, Dean. She’s a good friend. SWA_

**A friend or a ‘friend’? DW**

_What the fuck, man? SWA_  
_A friend. Just a friend. SWA_  
_Are you trying to accuse me of something? SWA_  
_Because that's shitty, even for you. And if you've somehow forgotten, I'm definitely 100% gay._

__**No, man. Not at all. DW**  
**Sorry. DW** _ _

* * *

____  


“Dean,” Castiel started, pausing in the doorway of their home and staring inside, his head tilted. “What are you doing?” 

Dean was in their living room, a flexible tape measure wrapped around his upper chest. It seem as if he were measuring- 

“I’m measuring my bust, what does it look like I’m doing?” Dean responded, letting go of the tape measure to write down the number. 

“And.. and why are you doing that?” 

“Because, Cas.” It was only then that Castiel realized exactly how agitated Dean looked, his hands almost shaking as he wrapped the tape around his hips. 

“Because why, Dean?” The man in Little Mermaid scrubs asked, coming closer and taking the tape from his husband. He readjusted it, checked the number, and wrote it down before putting the tape down. 

“Because I have to wear a dress to teatime.” 

“You’ve never wore a dress to teatime before.” 

“Grace implemented a new rule. You must wear a dress to teatime,” Dean explained, huffing. 

“I’m sure you could wear a suit-” 

“No. It has to be a dress. So now I have to take my measurements so I can get a fucking dress to wear to tea,” Dean pointed out, reaching for the tape measure again. Cas intercepted it, still not quite following. 

“You’re taking your measurements.. To buy a dress.” 

“Yes.” 

“Dean-” 

“Cas, when Dad gets uninvited from a tea party, we have a problem. Do you know how many tea parties I’ve missed? None. Zero. Zilch. I’m the damn king of tea parties. But now I can’t go unless I’m wearing a dress. You wanna know what happens next? Daddy stops getting invited to tea parties all together. And then there are no more tea parties and she’s driving and dating and there’s no time for Dad anymore, Cas!” 

Castiel just blinked, trying to digest everything that was going on in Dean’s head. He was unsure where any of this came from and was trying to quickly figure out the best way to handle the situation. It was Tuesday night. Tea party night. 

“Are you telling me you’re missing a tea party right now?” He asked after a moment, raising an eyebrow. Dean nodded. “Okay. Okay. Just a moment.” 

Castiel disappeared down the hall, going into their daughter’s room and shutting the door. He was in there for a solid five minutes before Gracie made her way out and into the living room. 

“Daddy?” She asked, looking at the brunette on the sofa. His laptop was in his lap and he was scrolling with a frustrated look on his face, continuing to glance at a sheet of paper. 

“Yes, baby girl?” 

“Papa says I should’ve thought how it takes time to get a new dress. I’m sorry, Daddy. You can come to the tea party as long as you promise you’ll dress up next week,” Gracie offered, taking his hand. Dean smiled, putting the computer down, standing, and picking up his daughter. 

“Thank you, sweetheart. Tea parties with you are my favorite part of the week,” he murmured, kissing her forehead and taking her back to her room. Castiel had disappeared already, giving Dean his alone time with Grace. 

Dean didn’t return to their bedroom until after Grace had been put to bed. Castiel, laying under the blankets, opened his arms for the man as he threw himself down on the bed. They were both silent for a while, fingers running through brown hair and the sound of quiet, soothing humming. 

“You know, Grace is going to grow up, just like Sam did,” Castiel finally murmured. 

“Well, yeah, of course I know that.” 

“It’s inevitable. There’s legitimately nothing that you can do to stop it.” 

“I get it.” 

“She’s going to grow up and live her life and maybe meet someone. And she’ll have problems when she’s grown that she’s not going to want to talk to her dad about. Just like Sam may have problems that he doesn’t want to tell his big brother about.” 

“Why? Why am I no longer a trustworthy source for help once people are adults?” Dean asked miserably, shifting in Castiel’s arms to stare up at their ceiling. 

“It’s not that. It’s that adults tend to try to solve their own problems, Dean. If something’s wrong, Sam’s trying to figure it out by himself. And you’ve got to let him or you’ll drive him away.” 

Dean mumbled something indistinguishable but Cas didn’t push for clarification on the issue. He simply pulled the mechanic in closer, pressing a kiss to the top of his head. 

“Sam’s going to be fine, Dean.” 

Dean hummed in response before there was a long, calm pause between the two of them. 

“And Dean?” 

“Hmm?” 

“I’ll take you to a thrift shop to get a tea party dress instead of ordering one online, yeah?” 

Dean huffed, hitting Castiel’s arm and burying his face. 

* * *

“Surprisingly, I mean this with no disrespect… but Castiel, what the hell is wrong with Dean today?” 

After Sunday brunch - which was, frankly, weird with the way Dean was acting - the Winchester brothers had settled in on the sofa with one of the various gaming systems while Castiel and Lucifer made their way outside to sit under the pergola and talk. Grace was at a playdate, leaving the early afternoon rather quiet. Bond had come outside and was curled up on Castiel’s lap, purring happily. At the question, Castiel sighed, looking down at the cat he was petting. 

“He’s just struggling when it comes to letting Sam work out his own problems. He doesn’t like being left out of the loop when it comes to Sam’s life, you know that.” 

“Trust me, I’m aware. I didn’t know he was being left out of it though,” Lucifer commented, unphased. His brother-in-law knew _plenty_ about Sam’s life; what more did he want to know, how many times Sam had cursed when getting fucked into the mattress the night before? 

“Well, with your pending divorce, he’s just feeling.. Inadequate, when it comes to his ability to take care of Sam.” 

Lucifer just stared at his brother, blinking a few times. Castiel didn’t pick up on his confusion so Lucifer raised a question. 

“Excuse me, I think I misheard you. With my what?” 

“Your pending divorce,” Castiel answered simply, casually. 

“My divorce.” 

“Yes..?” 

Lucifer let out a mixture between a scoff and a laugh as he stood up, heading over to the backdoor and pulling it open. 

“Sam?” Lucifer called. 

In the living room, Sam paused the game which made Dean groan. 

“Yeah, Luce?” Sam called back, getting to his feet. 

“Can you come out back?” 

Dean huffed, rolling his eyes. 

“Man, come on, you don’t have to-” 

“Dude, it’s a game. He’s my husband. Chill, let me see what he needs.” 

“He’s not-” Dean started, then stopped himself. “You don’t have to jump when he calls.” 

“Is this how you act when Cas calls for you? Man, stop,” Sam snapped, walking through the house to get to the back door. He stepped outside, Dean hot on his heels. 

“What’s up, guys?” Sam asked, raising an eyebrow. 

“Can you tell me why my brother is talking about my ‘pending divorce?’” Lucifer asked, looking between the three of them. 

“Your _what_?” Sam demanded, clearly taken aback. 

“Sam, we know. You don’t have to pretend anymore, man,” Dean muttered, clapping a hand on Sam’s back. 

There was a long pause where Sam and Lucifer just stared at each other, having a full on conversation with their eyes. It was Sam who spoke first. 

“You got it, guys. Man, it feels great not to have to keep that secret anymore,” he claimed, stretching out his long arms. “You know, it’s a good thing this idiot didn’t ask me to sign a prenup. It’ll cost him more than it’s worth to divorce me. Do you think I could win the house? I know it’s a bit big for one person but-” 

“Sam!” Dean snapped. “Can you take this seriously for just a minute? 

“Dean’s right, Sam,” Lucifer piped up. “If you think a judge is going to give you the house that I lived in long before you came along, you’re sadly mistaken. You’ll be thankful if I decide to let you see Bond and Raja more than once a month. You can move in with Jo at Eden or hell, be a live-in nanny for Dean and Cas.” 

“I get half of everything you own, _old man_.” 

“Sam, this doesn’t have to resort to-” Castiel started, jumping to his feet when he realized Lucifer was stomping across the yard to Sam. 

“Don’t you fucking touch him!” Dean snapped, certain that this was going to escalate. He moved to protect Sam but Lucifer got there first. 

Lucifer defied Dean, of course, but not in the way that he had feared. Lucifer’s hands cupped Sam’s cheeks gently, despite the visible anger in the older man as he had moved, and their lips met without a second’s hesitation. When they broke apart, they were both shaking, giggles turning into full-blown laughter. Dean mimicked his husband when he tilted his head, both of them confused and staring. Lucifer just turned around, pressing his back to Sam’s chest while Sam’s arms found their way around his waist. 

“I got amnesia in order to have the most romantic proposal possible and you think I’m getting a divorce a couple of years later?” Sam asked incredulously, just to get an elbow to the ribs for cracking a joke about the trying time in their lives. 

“Yeah, can one of you please explain to me why the hell you thought we were getting a divorce?” Lucifer added on. They watched as Castiel got his bearings back together and pointed at Dean. 

“Go ahead, Dean,” he offered, as if he were doing his husband a favor. Dean got a bit flustered, rubbing the back of his neck. 

“Um. Well. You see…” Dean started and Lucifer cleared his throat, urging him to get to it. “Uh, Grace told us.” 

There was a long pause as the couple in question just stared at him, then at each other, then at him. 

“Grace… Grace told you that we were getting a divorce?” Sam questioned, raising an eyebrow. 

“She asked what the word meant and said she had heard you two talking about it,” Dean explained. 

“A five-year-old, who doesn’t understand context, told you we had said the word divorce and you, what, went on a panic? It’s been weeks since she came to visit and that conversation was had, Dean.” Sam pointed out, sighing. 

“I didn’t panic! And why were you even talking about a divorce in the first place?” 

“We weren’t. It’s actually one of our rules - divorce isn’t joked about or threatened. So we both just broke our own rule but I’d say it was worth it for the looks on your faces,” Sam explained to his brother. 

“Sam also broke a rule by calling me old but I guess I'll let him make it up to me," Lucifer piped up, tilting his head up so he could glare at Sam. In return, Sam beamed and pressed a kiss to his lips. "Some friends of ours are getting a divorce. _That_ is what we were talking about. Which, we would’ve told you, if you had bothered to ask instead of getting your panties in a twist,” Lucifer added afterwards in explanation, annoyed. 

“But-” Dean started. Castiel laid a hand on his shoulder, shushing him. 

“They’re clearly fine, Dean. We overreacted.” 

"You think?" Sam and Lucifer asked in unison.

\-- 

Castiel had to go into the hospital that evening to take a look at a potential post-op complication so Dean dropped him off before going to get Grace from her friend’s house. She had been so excited to have her first playdate alone - Dean and Cas were fine with playdates as long as they were also there and it had taken five visits with her friend with the other child’s parents around before they had felt comfortable enough to leave her alone with them for a few hours. But Dean was more than ready to be back with his little girl - they’d even have some time to play before bedtime. 

Dean used the drive to think. He laughed aloud, at himself. He had gotten himself so worked up in the last couple of weeks because of an innocent question from a little kid. Vowing to himself that he’d never let something like that happen again, he pulled into the driveway and watched as Gracie came running towards him. 

Ten minutes later, the little girl was buckled into the backseat as they made their way back home, rather quiet. Dean figured she was probably tuckered out from a long day of playing and glanced in the rearview mirror to look at her. 

“Don’t suck on your thumb, baby girl,” he reminded. She took her thumb out of her mouth and Dean thanked her. 

“What are you thinking about?” He asked her after another moment of her silence. 

“What does affair mean?” 

Dean’s entire body tensed and he stared forward, his breathing a bit jagged. 

"Where did you hear that word?” 

“Papa said it! When he was on the phone this morning and you were sleeping.”

**Author's Note:**

> ...and there Dean goes, again! ;)


End file.
